GLEN 223: Principles of Engineering Geology

Practice questions
a) What is meant by Engineering Geology?
b) Explain why in engineering geologic practices there is the need to distinguish between
rock material and rock mass
c) The tectosilicates are known to have low densities in comparison to other silicate minerals. Why
is this so?
d) Inosilicate minerals possess well-defined prismatic cleavages characteristic of the
amphiboles and pyroxenes. What accounts for this property?
e) Explain why most plutonic rock masses are homogeneous in composition and
texture as compared to sedimentary or metamorphic rocks.
f) What is weathering?
g) Name the three sets of conditions that control the rate of weathering
h) Provide in detail how topography controls the rate of weathering.
i) Explain how climate influences the rate of weathering
j) Rocks with fine fabric are relatively less prone to chemical decomposition than rocks with
coarse fabric. Explain why you agree with this statement.
k) In what ways do soils differ from rocks?
l) Soil mass developed on a homogeneous rock mass will generally show some inhomogeneity
which may be gradational. What are the causes of the inhomogeneity?
m) Provide the textural classification of soils.
n) Under what conditions would you consider the material or mass properties of a soil to be
important?
o) The engineering behaviour of the ground can be expressed by three verbal equations: What are
these equations?
p) Write short notes on the following:
I. The 2:1 type expanding clays.
II. The silicate minerals
III. Rock material)
IV. Scope of Engineering Geological studies
q) Explain how a site investigation exercise is conducted.
r) What is an engineering geological map?
s) Discuss how Engineering Geological maps are classified.
t) Define the term “Building Stone”
u) Discuss the factors that you will consider to determine the suitability of rocks as building
stone.
v) What does Terrain evaluation refer to?
w) On what bases is the Pattern-Unit-Component Evaluation Scheme used for the evaluation
of terrain for human development.
x) Briefly discuss the criteria used in classifying weathered rock for engineering purposes.
y) Why are the silicate minerals the most common minerals in the earth's crust?
z) What alpha numeric descriptor would you assign to a rock specimen or exposure
which may develop hairline cracks in 1 day and displays pronounced separation of
bedding and/or disaggregation within 1 week of exposure?
aa) How is persistence of a discontinuity quantified?

bb) The velocity of compressional waves through a granitic rock mass was determined to be
500 m/s while sonic velocity measurements on intact rock specimens of the same rock in
the laboratory yielded 1250 m/s.

a. Determine the velocity ratio of the rock

b. Explain the significance of the velocity ratio you obtained in (a) above

cc) The following measurements were obtained during RQD assessment of 10 m run of a
borehole.

Borehole Run (m) Length of intact pieces (cm)

Depth (m)

0-4 4 12, 30, 70, 20, 50, 2, 28, 18, 7, 5, 85

4-7 3 50, 48, 75, 66, 3, 9, 8

8 - 10 2 35, 46, 78, 20, 90,

a. Determine the RQD

b. What classification will you assign to the rock mass?

dd What factors determine the composition, texture and fabric of transported soils?